Travel in the Time of Influenza

Signs of the times. I am ashamed to tell people that my parents just got back from their vacation in the US. I haven't told anybody in the office. What if people suddenly don't want to be near me? What if they suddenly look at me as if I've developed an acute case of the incurable?

My youngest sister has already been asked by the school nurse not to go to class for at least a week. They found out my parents and another sister vacationed stateside for a few weeks and they've been given the dark mark, the scarlet letter, the Star of David in Nazi Germany until they're cleared of any symptoms.

This flu has got to stop spreading. It's bad enough for the travel industry that people aren't giving in to their wanderlust in exchange for a little savings in this recession. The flu gives traveling a bad name.

Top 10 Things That Can Go Wrong When Hiking With Me

I use top 10 now instead of the usual 5 because there are more ways to mess up when I am involved with hiking, trekking, or mountain climbing of any sort.

Number 10: Packing food enough to feed a platoon.

Number 9 : Packing everything in separate zip-lock bags, which is a good thing, except when I have to get something and have to open everything up.

Number 8 : Packing two bottles of facial and body sunscreen when we actually didn't need any of it.

Number 7 : Wearing my Nike sneakers when I know it'll get wet.

Number 6 : Not having mojos, those ugly-looking rubber contraptions you put on your feet with equally ugly-looking straps. It is quite handy when all I've got is a pair of gold flip-flops.

Number 5 : Not wearing my swimsuit underneath the tank so I don't have to go looking for a changing room in the middle of nowhere.

Number 4 : Bringing a huge bottle of distilled water when I know I can't finish it and I end up bitching about it for having to carry it all the way to the top and back.

Number 3 : Bringing two different pairs of sunglasses. What was I thinking?

Number 2 : Bringing my eyeliner, lip and cheek tint and MAC face powder, which all ended up it a little stream just when we started the climb. One guy picked it up for me to my embarrassment and to the sheer delight of Kai, who was laughing at my distress and enjoying the look of humiliation on my face.

Number 1 : In my desire to travel light, I brought "only" tank tops and short shorts in a very foul weather.

Top Five Things To Bring to Pinatubo

Whenever I ask people who I know have been to Pinatubo if it's worth the trip, they look me up then say, "It's not for you, hihihi... **smirk** " That happened at least thrice, same comment. WTF? Am I that frail-looking? Or do I come off as some bubblehead who walks around the mall all day? Or both?

So of course I'm going. That was reason enough to go. Pinatubo crater lake, almost there. I just hope it won't pour.

Now I've always been a light packer but I'm being challenged here. What to bring to this trek that people seem to think would be a mountain I can't climb?


Number 5: Vats and vats of sunblock. Spf 500 at least. By vats, I mean vatsa.

Number 4: Five pairs of very wet jeans.

Number 3: 2-inch stilettos.

Number 2: Several bath towels, preferably white.

Number 1: Umbrella-hat. You know what I'm talking about. The coolest thing ever invented.

Travel is Universal

When I got back to NJ from SC, OMG, I had to pack another set of clothes for Orlando, FL!!! Such a hectic, hectic life. My aunts and I were off to Universal Studios in Orlando the next day. I would've absolutely loved this heady rush of traveling all over the US if I wasn't being an Eeyore the whole time. It's time to get my Tigger back!!!

And I was a kid again. Minus the worries and the pain and the memories of mistakes committed that would stay with me like a gaping wound.

Travel is good for the troubled spirit.

City Walk with Aunt Vinia

with Aunt Vita, the champion hula-hooper

Yeah, right! Like I would ride this thing.

Between a Lake and a Hard Place

I am such a slowpoke. I woke up very early the next day to iron my hair (yup, I'm vain like that!) and ended up having to tie it in a very unattractive ponytail since Camille was there early and they were ready to leave for Chimney Rock, North Carolina.

Lunch at Larkin's by the Lake with my uncle, 2 cousins and my cousin's fiance, Mike. Great, great seafood. But nothing beats the view here. It's not called Lake Lure for nothing.

Chimney Rock, brother of Chris

This is Uncle Vince, who looks and acts so much like my dad and Vinnie at the back. Taken inside the cave going up Chimney Rock.

I hate any sort of climbing. I climb subway steps, get into 49th and Broadway and I'm energized in a way no mountain ever could. Pardon me but I'm a city girl through and through.

View of Lake Lure atop Chimney Rock, Vinnie never smiles...

View of the opera box from Chimney Rock

View of Chimney Rock from the opera box

Oh, Stewie!

I haven't seen my uncle in 20 years and it's the first time I've met my cousin Vinnie, who's 12 and as sweet as can be. We'd watch the Family Guy and some other crap on TV and that's our bonding moment. We love Stewie and I like Vinnie with his "Are you rich? Do you have computers in the Philippines?" questions. He said that in the most innocent, unprejudiced, lovable way.

Camille, his sister, is almost the same age as me so she gets why I don't talk much nowadays. I felt like this sick, cancerous person being taken care off til she takes in her final breath. My parents are worried sick about me and they rub it off on people.

We were off to Atlanta, Georgia the next day for the Aquarium and the World of Coke.

Yep, it's that shitty shirt again! I feel so poor... but I love this shirt.

And now, for some comic relief. Meet boxer Jake Tuli!!! My uncle and I were both laughing but the two kids didn't know what it meant.

On the Road

So, I was on my way to Greenville, South Carolina. I was dreading it and looking forward to it. I brought along On the Road by Jack Kerouac as some sort of a security thing. I've been crying the whole day again. Up until about an hour before I left for Newark International. That was the lowest low I've felt since I've gotten here.

I mean, I don't get it. Just a few days ago, a Fil-Am dude (so Pinoy-looking) was compelled to walk over to me (so Pinay-looking) to introduce himself at some retail store. And contrary to what my Boston friend thinks, I was dressed appropriately. That should be more than enough to boost my ego. Wrong.

I was halfway across America, at the dividing line between the East of my youth and the West of my future. -- Jack really had me there.

Such a lonely, small airport they got in Greenville. It didn't help that I got there at about 2340H and my uncle and cousins must've been scared out of their wits I might have gone straight back to Manila.